Algae as source -- many questions left

With so much talk on biofuels, we cannot forget algae, the most spoken source candidate. Algae are high on the genetic engineering agenda as a potential source for biofuel, and hence, they should be subjected to independent studies of any environmental risks that could be linked to cultivating algae for this purpose, two prominent researchers say.

Would genetically engineered algae be able to survive in the wild, asks Allison Snow, professor of evolution, ecology and organismal biology at Ohio State University and lead author of the paper. "If they're grown in big, open ponds, which is mainly what we’re talking about, could the newer types of microalgae get out into nature and mingle? We need to know if they can survive and whether they can hybridize or evolve to become more prolific when they get out of a controlled environment," Snow says.

If they can survive, we also need to know whether some types of genetically engineered blue-green algae, for example, could produce toxins or harmful algal blooms -- or both.

And because algae are so small and could be dispersed by rough weather or wildlife activity, biologists worry that any transgenes they contain to enhance their growth and strength could be transferred to other species in a way that could upset a fragile ecosystem.

There are a lot of unknowns about this area of research and development in microalgae, and that's largely because algae don't have the breeding history that other crops have. In addition, few details are publicly available because much of this information remains confidential as businesses compete to be the first to commercialize their genetically altered algae.

In the same way that certain crop plants are bred with genes to help them repel pests and tolerate harsh conditions, different species of algae are likely being genetically engineered to grow rapidly because mass quantities of these tiny species will be needed to produce adequate fuel supplies. The authors recommend, for starters, a comparative examination of genetically engineered algae strains intended for large-scale cultivation with their natural counterparts to determine the basic differences between the two.